Fractured Innocence
by EmeraldRain25
Summary: The first time it happened Fuji thought he was seeing things. The second time it happened Fuji wondered if perhaps he was going insane. The third time it happened Fuji realized that the fleeting flashes of emerald that seemed to follow him around were not his imagination, but rather they belonged to a peculiar freshman named Echizen Ryoma.
1. Chapter 1

**I know what some of you are thinking. Why am I writing another story when I have yet to finish one of my others like I keep promising to? Well I recently decided to pick up writing again and needless to say, I realized I was a bit rusty, so I decided to write this story in order to ease me back into writing again.**

 **Warning:** Umm none at the moment.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis.

 **Chapter 1**

 _Fleeting_

* * *

The morning air glowed with the warmth of spring. Each step Fuji took towards the back of school was filled with fresh enthusiasm. To Fuji, each day was a new day, a new opportunity, and should be treated as such. He believed that there was no point holding onto the struggles of yesterday when it was just as easy to simply forgive, forget, and move on with your life.

Taking a glance at his phone, Fuji sighed.

He was 45 minutes early for practice.

Rounding the corner of the school, he had to blink twice. Freezing in his steps he stared at the clubroom door only to realize nothing was there.

' _Weird'_

He could have sworn he had seen someone. Dismissing the strange glimpse of emerald as his imagination, Fuji continued on his way towards the clubroom, completely forgetting about the incident until almost two weeks later.

The clubroom was crowded with members of the tennis team, all in the midst of changing, when Fuji got the sensation that someone was watching him. Taking a quick glance around the clubroom and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he was about to dismiss the thought when he spotted a pair of golden eyes staring through the clubroom window.

However, just like the incident a couple weeks ago, as soon as he blinked the eyes were gone. This time Fuji didn't hesitate to run outside and quickly scope out the area around the clubroom.

Nothing was there.

When Fuji returned he was met with the questioning stares of the regulars, which he swiftly put to ease with a couple comments consisting of "It was nothing, just thought I saw my neighbour's cat."

For the next couple weeks the fleeting glimpses of emerald and gold seemed to constantly follow him around, out of reach and just out of sight. Fuji absentmindedly wondered if perhaps he was being haunted. After all, what ghost wouldn't want to haunt a charming person like him?

It was with these thoughts that he approached the clubroom particularly early one morning, only to freeze in his tracks when he caught sound of running water that was being emitted from inside. Practise didn't start for another hour so that excluded any members from the tennis club, and as far as he knew, ghosts didn't take showers.

With cautious steps, he slid into the clubroom, all senses on high alert. Careful not to make a sound he crept his way towards the shower room in the back. Crouching in front of the door he mentally prepared himself for whatever he might find. Plucking up the last of his courage, he threw open the door, only to freeze in his tracks when he was met with the image of a young boy -not a ghost- who was equally shocked, and very much naked.

* * *

 **N/A**

I know this chapter is short, but just think of it as a sneak peak of what's to come! I have a lot planned for this story.

BTW, I'm writing a Harry Potter/ POT crossover, so if anyone would like to help me with it, just message me!

Oh, and please review and tell me what you though! :D


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter is a lot longer than the last so try not to get too bored ;P**

 **Warning:** It'll probably get angsty later on. Also mentions of violence later on.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis.

 **Chapter 2**

 _Routines_

* * *

Ryoma was roused from his sleep by the sounds of chirping birds, and the bright flashes of light directed into his eyes by the rising sun. Blinking open tired eyes he stared at the morning sky above him. He didn't want to get up; If only he could just fall back asleep and forget about the world around him. But unfortunately life wasn't, and would never be that easy; at least not for him anyway.

Rising to aching feet, he brushed off the odd patches of frost that had collected on his sweater from the crisp spring air. Grabbing his backpack off the bleachers beside him, he began his uneventful journey towards school.

To most kids, school was the place they despised above all else; to others, school meant homework, cranky teachers, and bitchy classmates. Ryoma however, welcomed school with open arms; to him, school meant warmth, shelter, and comfort. School was the one constant in his life that he couldn't be more thankful for.

He was currently attending Seishun Gakuen Middle School and although classes had only started one month ago, he was already glad he had chosen Seigaku over the other schools in the area. He had chosen Seigaku for many reasons, but perhaps two of the most important were that it was one of the cheapest in the area, and they left the school gates unlocked 24/7.

With confident and precise steps he made his way towards the back of the school. His destination was already set. By complete accident he had discovered that the tennis club left the clubroom unlocked all hours of the day. On the first day of school he had went looking for a bathroom and stumbled upon the clubroom, and ever since, he would occasionally stop by early in the morning before tennis practice, for a quick shower before school started.

So far his morning routine had been left uninterrupted. Ryoma couldn't be more thankful. It wasn't that he was anti-social….okay maybe he was a bit anti-social, but it wasn't because he hated people. Despite what everyone believed, he was actually glad to be surrounded by the comfort of companionship his classmates provided. The problem was he just didn't have the time or energy nowadays to make friends. He hasn't had the time or energy in a long time.

Between trying to keep his grades up, and the odd jobs he picked up every now and then to make ends meet, he just didn't have time to fool around in his spare time. Especially not after he had finally managed to secure a job at a local café that actually paid him more than $6 an hour. Sure $7.25 an hour isn't anything to brag about, but it was better than nothing, and to put it simply, Ryoma would taking anything he could get at this point; especially if he wanted to make enough to pay school fees. Sure Seigaku was cheaper than most schools, but it wasn't exactly free either.

As he reached the tennis clubroom, he quickly slipped inside before anyone noticed him. The past few weeks he'd had a few close encounters with one of the members. Thankfully, according to the clock hanging in the corner of the room, it was only 6:00 am. Practice didn't start till 7, so as long as he made this quick he would be in and out before any club members showed up.

He swiftly folded his clothes on one of the benches before promptly heading into the showers. Luckily the clubroom always seemed to be stocked on soap. Sure, soap wasn't the exactly the best replacement for shampoo and condition, but it was better than nothing. Letting the warm water flow down his back, his weary muscles immediately relaxed. Enjoying the temporary relief he failed to notice the sound of the clubroom door opening. It wasn't until the door to the showers was opened that he froze in spot, all thoughts immediately vanishing from his head.

In front of him stood the same third year that had almost caught him sneaking into the clubroom numerous times the past few weeks. The third-year seemed equally shocked and thoroughly confused. It wasn't until the third years startling blue eyes travelled downwards that Ryoma remembered he was indeed naked. In a flash of an eye, Ryoma had a towel wrapped around his waist and was pushing past the shell-shocked teenager, in order to reach his clothes. Hurriedly throwing on his uniform, he made his way to the clubroom door, not even looking back. He was stopped however, by a hand being placed on his shoulder.

"Wait-"

He cut the third year off. Brushing the hand off his shoulder he sprinted outside and didn't stop until he had made his way inside the school and had reached his classroom. He settled into his desk completely out of breath and his heart thudding a mile per hour until he thought that if anyone were to walk into the classroom they would probably be able to hear it.

That had been close.

Too close.

Thankfully, there were at least 200 freshmen alone, so even if the third year did come searching for him, the chances of him being found were slim to none. He didn't know if there were any rules against breaking into clubrooms, but he wasn't exactly itching to find out.

Once he had finally calmed himself down, he decided that now would be a perfect chance to have a quick nap before school started. Laying his head down on his desk it wasn't long before he drifted off.

It wasn't until his classmates started filing in before class started that he was woken up. As much as he would have loved to go straight back to sleep, they had exams coming up in a couple weeks and he needed to pay attention in order to pass. When the bell signalling the last period had ended, he quickly gathered up his books.

He started work at four, and frankly, he didn't think his boss would take too kindly to him showing up late. Work at the café was as simple as it got. He'd show up at 4 and stay till until 10 or 12 depending on the day. Sure he had to deal with rude customers every now and then, but either way, it definitely beat having to pick items out of the trash to sell in order to make some meager change.

If he was lucky he would even get himself enough in tips to buy a decent meal. It wasn't that he was starving or anything, he just didn't make enough to buy himself a three course meal every night. Usually he just bought something to drink at lunch and then a burger at dinner. If he was particularly lucky the night before he would sometimes by a quick breakfast at the convenience store on his way to school. The water fountain at the tennis courts also provided him with quick and easy access to fluid whenever he got thirsty.

That was another reason he liked staying at the tennis courts whenever the weather was nice. The bleachers provided better comfort then the cement in the subway stations. The spotlights that lit up the courts for a few hours every night also provided him with the perfect place to complete homework. He glared down at his math textbook. Out of all the subjects in school he definitely hated math the most, but then again, who in their right minds enjoyed math?

He was interrupted from his homework as the spotlights shut off, signalling it was midnight, and shrouding him in darkness. Deciding he wouldn't be able to get anything else done, he tucked his books back into his bag and settled down onto the bleachers. His eyes immediately travelled to the stars above him and he sighed.

1 year.

That's how long it had been since he had settled into this never-ending routine and tomorrow, he would wake up and repeat the entire thing again.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Sorry if anyone found this chapter boring, but I just needed to create an introduction for Ryoma and kind of explain his life a bit. As the story progresses I'll go into more detail, and if you haven't deduced this already, yes, Ryoma is homeless.**

 **Also, Ryoma's managed to pique Fuji's interest, which we all know never ends well ^^**

 **Anyway, I promise the next chapter will be a lot more eventful!**

 **Please review and tell me what you thought!**


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